The Puroresu (Japanese Wrestling) thread

Andersonisgod

den87 wrote: »

Can someone point me in the direction of where to watch AJ Vs Tana and Okada Vs Naka (semi-finals), finding them hard to locate.

I watched the final itself earlier and thought it was sloppy as hell. What did everyone else think of it?

I didn't want to spoil for anyone that hasn't seen yet but it's been a little while now so I'm gonna comment freely on the climax of the G1 (see what I did there.....no?....look closer, see it now? Ah it doesn't matter anyway)

The final 3 nights of the G1 (all of them at Sumo Hall) was as close to wrestling heaven as you'll get. In terms of storytelling (the kind of storytelling that has spanned years), drama and high quality action, these last 3 nights blow away everything else. Styles vs Tanahashi and Okada vs Nakamura (along with Ishii vs Elgin which is a true MOTY contender) were fantastic, but the lasting impression of this G1 will forever be that G1 final.

I don't want to get overly-poetic or sound preachy but it was perfect, just perfect. In front of a red hot Ryogoku Kokugikan crowd, NJPW raised the stakes pre match by introducing Masahiro Chono and Keji Mutoh to the crowd and having them commentate the main event, a symbolic gesture as two of the original three musketeers watched on as two of the three new musketeers had the defining match of their generation. So that was the stage set. In terms of competitors, Tanahashi and Nakamura were perfect, Tanahashi the ace of the company for a decade, Nakamura his long time rival. Tanahashi the most popular guy on the roster for so long, Nakamura perhaps has begun to surpass him. Two entirely different, yet two massively popular wrestlers, the commentary stressed the importance of both men to the rejuvenation of NJPW. The match was tremendous, I mean just awesome, I could go through it literally minute for minute and detail why it was so good but there's really not much need for that, I'll just say this was peak Nakamura and peak Tanahashi. For me, this was the full 5 stars and is right up there with Nakamura vs Ibushi, HARASHIMA vs Ibushi, O'Reilly vs Kushida and Satomura vs Hojo as a MOTY contender.

I know some were a bit disappointed by the result and, while Nakamura is my favourite wrestler, I am happy that they've gone with this story. Okada is the champion but he is not yet the ace of the company, nor can he be until he defeats Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome. He's tried twice, he failed twice, the second time he left a broken man in tears, this whole year has been the story of Okada rising back up the ranks, showing a new side to himself, becoming more humble and building himself back up again. Now he will meet Tanahashi again, the score between the two is 3-3-1, but the score at the Tokyo Dome is 2-0 in Tanahashi's favour. It's the passing of the torch in NJPW. This was just too good a story for NJPW to pass up on, one they have been telling for years and it needed a conclusion. The beauty of long term booking on full display.

This message was a bit longer than first anticipated but ye, fantastic tournament, which concluded with my personal favourite match that I've seen this year.

Bluftoni

Great, great, great match. I wonder, did Meltzer go the full five stars for it?

I have it just under five due to a few unsmooth exchanges.

Realpaul

Meltzer did give it five he also gave both Tana vs Styles and Okada vs Nakamura from the other two sumo hall shows ****3/4.

I went just under ***** for Nakamura vs Tanahashi too mainly for the botched flying armbar spot but apart from that the match was superb.

Bluftoni

Oh thank you for the info. Oooh, always nice when Dave bestows the big honour from on high.

Myself, had AJ and Tanahashi at 4.75, Nakamura/Okada at 4.25-4.5 and the final at 4.75.

I was absolutely chuffed that Tanahashi won the tournament. Going in, I was a bigger fan of Nakamura, but I felt his performances were a little lacking in the round robin phase.

Meanwhile, Tanahashi is ripping it up and I just loved watching after his victories and his rapport with the crowd. I hadn't seen the stuff with towels before and he just comes across as a fantastic all-round entertainer and good guy.

Palo Alto

Nakamura was injured to be fair.

Andersonisgod

Bluftoni wrote: »

Oh thank you for the info. Oooh, always nice when Dave bestows the big honour from on high.

Myself, had AJ and Tanahashi at 4.75, Nakamura/Okada at 4.25-4.5 and the final at 4.75.

I was absolutely chuffed that Tanahashi won the tournament. Going in, I was a bigger fan of Nakamura, but I felt his performances were a little lacking in the round robin phase.

Meanwhile, Tanahashi is ripping it up and I just loved watching after his victories and his rapport with the crowd. I hadn't seen the stuff with towels before and he just comes across as a fantastic all-round entertainer and good guy.

Nakamura definitely appeals more to an older audience than Tanahashi does (Swagsuke is also my favourite wrestler) but nobody can deny Tanahashi's charm, he comes always comes across so likable and humble, you're left in no doubt that he cares about all of his fans and, even if some fans boo him during his match, after the match they all applaud and respect the effort he puts in. He had a fantastic tournament, especially considering that some thought he was finished as a top level performer, he won it and he was also the MVP of the tournament.

On Nakamura, the arm injury hampered him a crazy amount, the way he was bumping, the slight winces whenever there was pressure on his arm were all too real. Up until the Okada match we were basically watching Nakamura in second gear, he knew what was to come and he was preserving his body for those final two epic matches and it was worth it. Obviously it wont go down as his best tournament from a match quality POV but in terms of heart and fighting spirit this was really something else.

Finally, delighted that Tanahashi vs Nakamura got the full 5 stars, I'd tend to agree 100% with that assessment, given the stage, the historical importance of the match, the nostalgic feel to the whole thing and the quality in the ring I think it warrants the highest rating, epic is the word that describes it.

den87

On first watch i think Okada/Nakamura is my match of the year, will give Tana/Nakamura another viewing though. Still have a lot to get through. Any recommendations based on you guys' favourites?

Realpaul

Tanahashi vs Styles from the first sumo hall show was my favourite G1 match.Ishii vs Elgin from the same show as Okada vs Nakamura is great too.

Palo Alto

I loved Naito Tanahashi a lot.

beakerjoe

With The Destruction Tour kicking off soon, Ive written a piece on Juice Robinson, the former CJ Parker who is joining up with NJPW for the first time in his career.

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2015/09/03/the-rebuilding-of-cj-parker/

Its a big opportunity for the man and I am interested to see how he fairs.

gerrybbadd

beakerjoe wrote: »

With The Destruction Tour kicking off soon, Ive written a piece on Juice Robinson, the former CJ Parker who is joining up with NJPW for the first time in his career.

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2015/09/03/the-rebuilding-of-cj-parker/

Its a big opportunity for the man and I am interested to see how he fairs.

I thought CJ had retired!

Hope things work out for him, I felt he had great potential

beakerjoe

gerrybbadd wrote: »

I thought CJ had retired!

Hope things work out for him, I felt he had great potential

It turns out he just retired the character/name. Hes going by his previous name, Juice Robinson now.

Kind of ironic that diluted orange is called squash in the US and that Robinsons Juice is a dilatued orange drink here and he was fairly great at being the fodder in squash matches during the end of his NXT run.

Ill get my coat

Andy_rse

Hopefully this is the right thread but has anyone ordered from the NJPW Europe site? I ordered a Bullet Club shirt and it never arrived, emails went unanswered so had to raise a dispute on PayPal and got my money back.

I still would like the shirt but am hesitant to use them again. Or does any one know where else to get an official one. Anything on eBay looks like a knock off.

Andersonisgod

Andy_rse wrote: »

Hopefully this is the right thread but has anyone ordered from the NJPW Europe site? I ordered a Bullet Club shirt and it never arrived, emails went unanswered so had to raise a dispute on PayPal and got my money back.

I still would like the shirt but am hesitant to use them again. Or does any one know where else to get an official one. Anything on eBay looks like a knock off.

Tbh the shirts on NJPW Europe are just from Pro Wrestling Tees so they won't have the lionmark tag on the shirt. That's not that important to some people though.

I tried Yottsume before but this was after he disappeared so I had to raise a PayPal dispute too and got my money back.

I ordered a Shinsuke Nakamura t shirt and a Lion Mark hoodie from the official NJPW store based in Japan. They don't ship internationally so I used White Rabbit. You give them the details of the item you want to purchase, they purchase the item and ship it to you. They were very quick, polite, an all round good experience after the Yottsume disaster. Cost wise it shouldn't be much more than you'll actually pay on NJPW Europe. If you need any help let me know.

montyrebel

saw the other day that 'Sean Guinness' has gone back over to Zero-1 for another stint, hope it goes well again for him, one of Irelands best imo

Stereomaniac

He's definitely been one of the standouts from the show the couple of times I've seen him work.

Andy_rse

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Tbh the shirts on NJPW Europe are just from Pro Wrestling Tees so they won't have the lionmark tag on the shirt. That's not that important to some people though.

I tried Yottsume before but this was after he disappeared so I had to raise a PayPal dispute too and got my money back.

I ordered a Shinsuke Nakamura t shirt and a Lion Mark hoodie from the official NJPW store based in Japan. They don't ship internationally so I used White Rabbit. You give them the details of the item you want to purchase, they purchase the item and ship it to you. They were very quick, polite, an all round good experience after the Yottsume disaster. Cost wise it shouldn't be much more than you'll actually pay on NJPW Europe. If you need any help let me know.

Thank you! I'll look into it.

Stereomaniac

I found Pro Wrestling Tees to be very slow in their delivery there recently, but the quality great.

gnfnrhead

This thread took way too long to find.

Wrestle Kingdom X line up following the (dull) tag league.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs. KUSHIDA

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
reDRagon (c) vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Roppongi Vice vs. Young Bucks

ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Michael Elgin

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) vs. GBH (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)

NEVER Openweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Takahashi) vs. Toru Yano & TBA

Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuyta Naito

New Japan Rumble
TBA

Talk about stacked!

ERG89

I hope AJ is able to perform at Wrestle Kingdom with this back injury

Andersonisgod

It's an incredible card, it'll almost undoubtedly be the show of the year. Perhaps if you were nit-picking you would say that the fatal four way Junior Tag Title match show be a straight up regular tag match and that you have no desire to see Doc Gallows in a featured match but those are just minor gripes. I realise too that there aren't many fresh matches on the card, many are rematches but dammit the quality of these matches should be so good that this will be insignificant. There's so much potential on this card, the final 3 matches in particular have the ability to all get 5 stars.

Personally I am most looking forward to the main event, Okada vs Tanahashi. We've seen it many times, each time they've given us something new, each time they've given us a different type of match. I've talked on here before about the backstory and how it's peaked at just the right time, in my mind this is the best pro wrestling rivalry since Kobashi vs Misawa. For anybody who is considering trying NJPW for the first time this event is the ideal jumping on point and there will also be English commentary on NJPW World too.

gnfnrhead

ERG89 wrote: »

I hope AJ is able to perform at Wrestle Kingdom with this back injury

With Lethal vs. Elgin announced it seems highly unlikely Styles was winning at Final Battle next weekend. So I'm now hoping they cancel that match, have Lethal claim Styles is running scared, then make the main event a three way of Lethal defending against both Elgin and Moose with Moose taking the fall. Let Styles rest right until the last second for Wrestle Kingdom. Styles vs Lethal has happened many times before so can wait until the Anniversary show if needed.

My original idea if Styles were to miss Wrestle Kingdom no longer works. I would have done Lethal vs Nakamura in a Champion vs Champion match while Elgin goes against Ishii. Now if Styles cant make it, their best bet is probably calling Suzuki back from NOAH.

brianregan09

Would love if they did the english commentary again

gnfnrhead

brianregan09 wrote: »

Would love if they did the english commentary again

They are. Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker.

Omackeral

Tana vs Okada will be unreal even if we've seen it before, think Rock vs Austin and their Mania trilogy.

Styles vs Nakamura is the one to watch IMO. Cannot wait for this. Even if they work at 80%, they'll still be in for MOTY contendership.

The 4 Way jr tag is what it is, a chaotic spot fest with f-all pacing, but what a way to officially kick off the ppv. I've no problem with it at all.

Looking forward to seeing Kenny Omega, he cracks me up.

beakerjoe

That Jnr tag match looks tasty.

Palo Alto

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

gnfnrhead

I'm pretty sure KES have gone backwards in the last year or so. Especially Davey Jr. Hero made them look like rookies at the Destiny show. Put them both to shame with his performance. Even Cabana looked better and more interested.

Andersonisgod

So I do a bit of writing for a wrestling site (I cover NJPW stuff) and with Wrestle Kingdom 10 on the horizon and with it being the biggest Japanese pro wrestling show of the year (and always a frontrunner for best show of the year in wrestling) I did a preview and prediction piece if anybody fancies checking it out.

https://kayfabetoday.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-10-preview-and-predictions/

(btw my contributions are labelled under EvilJason27)

Andersonisgod

Well that didn't get a great reaction....

But in any case, it's Wrestle Kingdom time! Is anyone watching the show tonight? Pre show starts at 6am, main card begins at 7am GMT. For those who don't know, this is New Japan Pro Wrestling's biggest show of the year and the card is as stacked as any card I can ever remember seeing. It's practically guaranteed to be a frontrunner for best pro wrestling show of the year (if anything beats this card it'll be a minor miracle). It'll be about 5 hours of hard hitting, technically sound, rollercoaster of emotions with all of the pomp and pageantry we've come to expect of New Japan on their biggest night in the hallowed ground of the famed Tokyo Dome.

And that was my hard sell for an event that really doesn't require it.

thebostoncrab

I'll be watching after work tomorrow afternoon. I've been stupidly excited for this for the past few weeks and can't pick out what match I'm looking forward to to the most.

The only thing I'm not not looking forward to is the possibility of Okada not winning. He NEEDS to win this match, or else last years result was for nothing.

Andersonisgod

thebostoncrab wrote: »

I'll be watching after work tomorrow afternoon. I've been stupidly excited for this for the past few weeks and can't pick out what match I'm looking forward to to the most.

The only thing I'm not not looking forward to is the possibility of Okada not winning. He NEEDS to win this match, or else last years result was for nothing.

Ah man it'll be like Christmas morning for me, there's so many matches on this card that could easily steal the show. The standard should be incredibly high.

I'll be sitting in front of the tv with my Rainmaker shirt on in tears if he loses like he did last year. It's such a brilliantly told story, and the whole Okada losing and crying at last year's Wrestle Kingdom and his road to redemption this whole year could not have been more perfectly put together or executed. He does need this win, he needs to beat the man on the biggest stage, while Okada's title may be the physical prize in the main event, it is Tanahashi's status as "ace" of the company that is the true prize.

A Rogue Hobo

Is there a way to watch it with the English commentary online live? New Japan World or something?

gnfnrhead

I'll be shocked if Okada doesn't win, likewise with KUSHIDA. Those two are nailed on winners for me.

My predictions:

New Japan Rumble: Yuji Nagata again. Would like a Young Lion to win but can't see them doing it.

Jr. Tag: reDRagon to retain. Not much more to be said.

Six man tag: Bullet Club. Briscoes are a bigger deal, but Bullet Club are full timers and often in six man tags. Can see the Briscoes being used as a normal tag in future.

ROH title: Lethal retains. Elgin is working without a contract so I can't see ROH taking the chance after what happened with Del Rio. A Lethal win puts him over big time ahead of the ROH Japan shows.

Jr. title: KUSHIDA wins. I'll be shocked if Omega retains.

Tag titles: GBH win and hopefully don't lose the titles back in February.

Goto vs Naito: I'd have said Naito, but Goto beat Okada during the G1 and never got his title shot. A win for Goto here gives them an easy title match for the New Beginning Shows. Wins and losses don't effect Naito either.

NEVER: This is where business will really pick up. Watch their 2013 match and I dare you not to be hyped. I want to say Shibata, but think that is one too many title changes so I'll say Ishii retains.

Intercontinental: Could go either way as neither guy is guaranteed to be there after January. I'll say Styles to freshen up the division as Nakamura has faced practically everyone he can. Styles winning also allows them two more matches against each other. Nakamura winning eliminates that possibility.

IWGP: Okada retains. Personally, I'm hoping for dickhead Tanahashi throughout the match to make it that much better when Okada drops him and claims his spot as the ace of the company.

I can't see a bad match on the card. Six man didn't look good until the Briscoes were announced while the Rumble should be fun at the least. The final three matches have MOTYC written all over them.

den87

A Rogue Hobo wrote: »

Is there a way to watch it with the English commentary online live? New Japan World or something?

Am wondering this myself as ill be home from work.

Agent Coulson

I think I remember Kevin Kelly said he and Matt Striker would be doing it on a podcast last month.

Where and with who I don't no maybe for AXS TV who show NJPW in the States.

Andersonisgod

To answer that. Kevin Kelly, Matt Striker and Yoshi-Tatsu (formerly of WWE and there to translate promos) will be doing the English commentary feed. The English feed will be live on NJPW World as the show happens, you can choose which feed you want to watch, the Japanese feed or the English feed. Both start at 7am I believe with the main show starting at 8 am.

chopperbyrne

Kenny Omega on The Excellent Adventures of Gootecks and Mike Ross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqPZdqqKjT4

Angron

What time is WK10 on for us?

Andersonisgod

Angron wrote: »

What time is WK10 on for us?

Pre show starts at 7am, main show kicks off at 8am.

ciano316

That was one hell of a show!

Angron

I'm looking forward to getting to see it once I get home!

Andersonisgod

I'm basically a zombie after all of that and then the crazy marking out at the end. Absolutely incredible.

beakerjoe

Andersonisgod wrote: »

I'm basically a zombie after all of that and then the crazy marking out at the end. Absolutely incredible.

Spolier free confirmation that I will enjoy this.....woo hoo!

sky88

Not huge into the Japanese wrestling but deceied to catch this as i was off this morning. the show itself was great but my god i hated the commentary. Give me cole, jbl and lawler over that. Granted ive never liked striker so it was always going to be a struggle for me with him on.

Andersonisgod

sky88 wrote: »

Not huge into the Japanese wrestling but deceied to catch this as i was off this morning. the show itself was great but my god i hated the commentary. Give me cole, jbl and lawler over that. Granted ive never liked striker so it was always going to be a struggle for me with him on.

I probably should have suggested the Japanese commentary beforehand. Far more enjoyable, and they add way more to what's going on in the ring even though I can't speak Japanese, their passion and excitement comes across so clearly. If there's a choice, I always choose the Japanese commentary option.

Palo Alto

AJ/Nakamura is one of the best matches I've ever seen. Last few mins of Okada/Tana was pure goosebumps too.

Hope Naito gets a run as main heel this year, him v Okada is a programme I could get behind.

thebostoncrab

That IC match was simply everything I love about wrestling. I'd easily call it my favourite Nakamura match, which makes it one of my favourite matches of all time.

I was SCREAMING during the last few minutes of the IWGP match, it was epic.

thebostoncrab

Also, the NEVER Openweight Championship match was fantastic and one of the most violent matches I have seen not involving weapons. I may enjoy my catch wrestling but nothing beats two lads hoping seven shades of ****e out of one another.

den87

Both main events brought it! Preferred Okada/Tana as it was the culmination of years and years of epic matches. Okada hanging onto Tana's wrist at the end, the near coast to cost drop kick, finisher trades, the leg work and selling-this match had it all. Awesome

AJ/Naka was great, really lived up to the hype, the triangle choke into the Styles clash and the fist bump at end were great visuals.

Matt striker is awful.